Fish tend to seek that level in a body of water having a preferred temperature, salinity, and/or concentration of food. The level may be relatively far below the surface, so that a fisherman must have some means of positioning his bait or lure at that level if fish are to be caught. This is particularly true where the bait or lure is trolled from a moving boat. Furthermore, since most fishing boats troll with a number of lines, there must be some means for spacing the baits and thereby precluding the lines from becoming tangled.
The prior art discloses a number of devices designed to carry the bait or lure a substantial distance below the surface of the water. These devices typically utilize a weight which is towed from the boat through the provision of a heavy line controlled by a specially designed reel. Intermediate the water surface and the weight usually is a device for securing the fishing line thereto, and for permitting the fishing line to be released when a fish is hooked. These prior art devices do, however, suffer from a number of drawbacks involving complexity of design, inability to control lateral spacing and the like.
The disclosed down rigger weight assembly overcomes the mentioned drawbacks and provides an assembly which is relatively easy to construct, permits selective lateral spacing of the down rigger system, and has means for maintaining the lateral spacing as the weight is trolled.